Taking a cooking class in Chiang Mai was at the top of my list of things to do during my trip to Thailand.
I fell in love with Thai cuisine and since the last stop on my itinerary was Chiang Mai, I wanted to learn how to cook a few popular dishes so that I could try them back home.
Besides, if you’re like I was, interested in a Chiang Mai cooking class, then you’re probably looking for a fun way to learn more about local food, culture, and customs. After all, what better souvenir to bring back from your travels than a first-hand experience and a deeper connection to the place you just visited?
So I wrote this guide to share my personal experience of taking a Thai cooking class in Chiang Mai. In it, you’ll get an insider’s look at what food I prepared, and what the cooking class included, as well as a selection of Thai cooking classes to help you choose the right one for you.
Ready to start cooking? I can already smell the chillis and lemongrass, can’t you!
Taking a Cooking Class in Chiang Mai Thailand
No matter where you travel, the local cuisine can be a window into learning more about the culture of a place. When you get to do some actual cooking of those favorite dishes, you come away with new skills, delicious recipes, and a better understanding of where you are and the people who live there.
It’s a long-lasting win-win if you ask me!
You can do a Thai cooking class in Chiang Mai and in many places around Thailand like Bangkok and Phuket. So if you don’t have time in Chiang Mai, you can work it into your Thailand itinerary elsewhere.
I chose to do mine here because there are so many Chiang Mai cooking classes to choose from that it’s become one of the most popular things to do in Chiang Mai.
Choosing a Cooking Class in Chiang Mai: What to Know
With so many cooking schools to choose from, there are a few basic things to know so that you choose the experience that’s right for you.
Thai Cooking Class Options
Most cooking schools in Chiang Mai offer a half-day cooking class and a full-day cooking experience. If you choose a half-day class, then you’ll have to decide if you want to do the morning class or the afternoon class.
Half-day cooking classes typically are between 3-5 hours long depending on how many dishes you’ll make. A full-day cooking class can last 6-8 hours. Some Chiang Mai cooking schools might also offer evening classes or private cooking classes if you’re traveling with a larger group or just want to have a more personal experience.
Regardless of which cooking school you choose, you’ll likely be with just a small group because there is only so much space for everyone to have their own cooking station.
Cooking Class in Chiang Mai: What’s Included
The Chiang Mai cooking school you choose will include all of the ingredients you need to prepare whatever Thai dishes you’ll make. Some cooking classes also include a market visit where you can learn more about the common ingredients used in Thai food.
During the class, your cooking class will have a teacher walking you through the entire process. And once you’re done cooking, you get to eat what you’ve made.
All the cooking classes in Chiang Mai that I considered gave students the choice to choose the dishes they wanted to make for each course which was important for me since I don’t eat meat and only occasionally some seafood.
Typically, you’ll prepare 4-5 dishes and possibly a dessert. For each, there are a few choices which you can decide when you arrive for your class.
You’ll also usually get a Thai recipe book to take home with you so you can cook your favorite things back home. Most cooking schools in Chiang Mai also include transportation as long as you’re staying within a set distance of Chiang Mai’s old city.
What’s the Best Chiang Mai Cooking School?
I chose Thai Farm Cooking School and would happily recommend the experience!
Aside from that, there are also many other places to take a cooking class in Chiang Mai. I’ve listed some popular ones below to help you narrow your choices and compare your options.
- This Grandma’s Home Cooking School cooking class is one of the most popular activities in Chiang Mai on Get Your Guide. You’ll cook 4 different dishes and visit an organic farm.
- Another popular option is at Mama Noi Cookery School. You’ll prepare up to 5 dishes and can choose an air-conditioned kitchen if you rather not work in an open-air kitchen.
- The Galangal Cooking Studio offers evening cooking classes which can be a great option if you want to time everything with dinner or you have limited time in Chiang Mai and want to do as much as possible each day. It’s also one of the most-booked cooking classes in Chiang Mai on Get Your Guide.
My Experience at Thai Farm Cooking School in Chiang Mai
As I mentioned above, I chose the Thai Farm Cooking School because reviews were especially positive and I liked the idea of going into the countryside just outside Chiang Mai. I was picked up promptly at my hotel on the morning of my cooking class.
The air outside the city center wasn’t as thick. We started with a local market tour to gather some ingredients. Once we arrived at the cooking studio, we also picked fresh ingredients from the cooking school’s organic garden. My goal was to learn how to prepare some of my favorite Thai dishes so that I could make them again back home.
That’s me, fresh from the garden, having picked leaves, herbs, chilies, and mangoes! The hat absolutely makes me look that much more like an authentic Thai farmer and cook.
Cooking Thai cuisine always seemed so complicated, with recipes listing countless unfamiliar ingredients. So, just listening to the teacher explain what each ingredient was and how it was used was already an education and we hadn’t even gotten started in the kitchen yet
Pandan leaves are similar to vanilla and add a mild flavor to the dishes they are used in. Galangal is Thai ginger and one of the most used Thai ingredients.
And of course, Thai food is known for its heat. These come from different types of chilies. There are smokin’ hot bird’s eye chilies and “only” mildly spicy long chilies.
We picked fresh mangoes off the tree and they were so fresh that they melted in your mouth. I haven’t had a mango as juicy and fresh since.
In addition, we learned about kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, coconut milk, and fish sauce and how they are staples (along with the above) in many different dishes.
After our time in the garden, my fellow Chiang Mai cooking class students and I each got assigned a mortar and pestle station. Each of us had to grind the chili leaves that had just been picked from the garden a few moments earlier.
The charcoal-speckled pestle was slippery in my hand, making it somewhat difficult to grip tightly. I love Thailand, and more broadly, Southeast Asia, but I am not built to handle the high temperatures.
Beads of sweat were forming a line along my brow. I wasn’t sure what would ultimately produce more heat, the pounding and scraping with the pestle or the green curry paste that the ingredients in the mortar would eventually become.
It was about 90 degrees outside, even under the covered patio where the mortar and pestle action was happening. So, in typical Thai fashion, it was hot all around. But it was also nice to be cooking in the countryside with the windows open.
Once the green curry paste was made, each person in the small class got their own stainless steel work area and stovetop in an open-air kitchen. With all of our own cooking stations formed into a boxy U shape, we could easily watch and listen to the friendly and helpful teacher as she demonstrated our next steps.
I had already chosen the 5 dishes I wanted to make (not counting the curry paste) and also made sure the teacher knew I ate only some fish, but no other meat. There was no problem accommodating my needs.
For each recipe, the ingredients were pre-measured and arranged on a white-flowered tray with red trim. If only cooking at home was as organized!
As I stood over the gas burner, I had a newfound appreciation for the Thai people who make a living behind their hot grills selling delicious Thai street food.
First, I started with Tom Yum Soup. I set aside my freshly pounded green curry paste and took my tray of ingredients. Having always been a good student, I followed the dictated directions.
I was surprised by how easy it was. I realized at that moment that in addition to having the right ingredients, the secret to Thai cooking is in the preparation. It’s 80% prep and 20% cooking.
With the mushrooms, lemongrass, galangal, tomato, and shallot chopped and ready, my Tom Yum soup was cooked, garnished, and served in less than 10 minutes!
Soup devoured and confidence growing, I moved on to making Pad Thai.
Of all the dishes on the menu, I was most intimidated by this dish. The wok would be extremely hot and the sauce for the noodles needed just the right balance of water, tamarind paste, palm sugar, fish sauce, mushroom sauce, and chili powder to taste exactly the way it should.
Not only was my Pad Thai delicious, but the teacher also showed us just how to create the perfect presentation. In the end, it looked as beautiful as it was yummy.
Everyone in the class took time to eat and chat. I was happy I had chosen to take the full-day cooking class. It was good to space out the meals or else you might end up feeling too full to eat everything you make.
Back at our cooking stations, we returned to the curry pastes we had made, mixing in coconut milk and adding vegetables (no meat for me). Others were making a meat version of their curry dish.
Having been the first thing made, I realize now that I had been a bit overzealous in adding chilies to the curry in my mortar. Although I love spicy food, I made the newbie mistake of thinking 1 or 2 chilies can’t possibly be enough!
When I finally tasted the finished dish, the spice nearly seared off my taste buds.
As good as it was, I could only have a few bites before crying uncle. I stored that cooking class lesson away for later. I didn’t want to repeat that mistake when I tried to make some of these Thai dishes back home.
My favorite dish of the day (dessert aside) was the eggplant with basil leaves. This has long been one of my most favorite Thai dishes. It was a no-brainer when I saw it was a menu option. I had to learn how to make this for myself.
As with the other dishes, preparation and the right ingredients are key. The teacher explained everything step-by-step but also helped all of us to understand how the ingredients complement one another. For my eggplant with Thai basil, it was all about balancing all of those flavors to work together. And in the end, the dish was amazing!
After cooking and eating all of the main dishes, it was time for dessert. Everyone in the class was stuffed with delicious Thai food that we ourselves had made. But no one was going to miss preparing and eating a dish of mango sticky rice.
If you’ve never tasted this Thai dessert, then try to imagine sweet, velvety coconut milk poured over sticky rice. This special kind of rice is a shorter-grain rice and, because of its sweeter taste, is typically used for desserts. Combine this on your fork with juicy, ripe mango bites and you’ve got Heaven on Earth.
I was so happy with my decision to take a cooking class in Chiang Mai! It was lots of fun. At the end of the day, I had my Thai Farm School cookbook in hand but also a truer understanding of the delicious Thai dishes I had been eating.
During my last days in Chiang Mai, I was also able to better identify the produce at markets around the city, as well as recognize the tastes of individual ingredients as I ate.
Experience over things wins every time. The true test would come when I was back home with my inevitable Thai food cravings. Would I be able to repeat and even share this Thai cooking class experience with my friends and family members?
Revisiting my Chiang Mai Cooking Class Skills
Fast forward 4 months to a Thai dinner party that I put together back at my apartment in New York City. I wasn’t sure how it would turn out but I was determined to try!
I had such an amazing time in Thailand that attempting to cook the dishes was more than just satisfying a craving. I wanted to reconnect with my experiences there and tangibly share them with my friends.
I hopped on the subway with Chinatown in my sights. I (still) carried my Thai Cookbook like a badge of honor to the Bangkok Center Grocery on Mosco Street. Reviews online said I should be able to find everything I needed there.
The friendly man who helped me gather the ingredients was especially amused at my excitement at having found galangal and Thai eggplants! (Just another reason to love NYC! You can find anything you can imagine.)
So, I bought what I needed and, after buying some rambutan from a fruit cart on the street, I headed back up to my Upper West Side apartment.
Remember, how perfect those ingredient trays looked back at the cooking school in Chiang Mai? Well, erase that image from your mind and imagine my tiny, galley kitchen with about a foot of counter space.
Yes, ingredients were strewn across any and all solid surfaces looking as if a twister had rumbled through the kitchen upending everything. I decided not to take photos of this kitchen disaster to save myself…and my mother…the embarrassment.
I prepped for hours, chopping until my hands were literally on fire (ice packs needed later) from the bird’s eye chilies, onions..oh yeah, and more chilies. Apparently, my hands knew we were no longer in Thailand and wouldn’t put up with such recklessness.
Lesson learned. Wear gloves or invest in a proper mortar and pestle when trying to replicate your Chiang Mai cooking class experience!
The good news though is that despite an absolute kitchen armageddon, all Thai cooking class skills were successfully revived!
I started with some Tom Yum Soup. Then, I made Pad Thai, green curry with some vegetables, and chicken with Thai basil. For a moment, I felt like I was back in the kitchen at my cooking class in Chiang Mai.
My Thai “Green” Curry wasn’t exactly green. The leaves needed for the green color were the only things I couldn’t find in NYC. But it tasted fantastic over some Thai Jasmine rice.
My New York City version of Pad Thai came out the best of all the dishes. It didn’t cook as quickly as it did in my cooking class but it tasted the way it should.
To finish, we all enjoyed some Mango Sticky Rice. The mangoes weren’t freshly picked from the tree like in Chiang Mai but sharing my Thai cooking class experience with my friends was what made the whole dinner party sweet.
Ready to Plan Your Cooking Class in Chiang Mai?
My Thai cooking course was a great experience! Not only was it a culinary experience, but also a true cultural, hands-on way to learn more about the food and ingredients of northern Thailand.
Plus, I was able to take my Chiang Mai cooking class experience and share a piece of it with others. That’s one of the best gifts travel can give. My elephant pants may fade in the wash, but I’ve got my Thai cookbook, new kitchen skills, and a deeper overall appreciation for Thai culture.
So, would you like to take a Thai cooking class in Chiang Mai?
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